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Southern Water Tribe
The Southern Water Tribe is an independent state at the South Poleand the southern division of the Water Tribes. A federation of several smaller tribes, the South is ruled by a Council of Tui and La, who also elect the tribe's chief. The Southern Water Tribe achieved its independence only after the Water Tribe Civil War in 171 AG; before, the tribe had been an autonomous tribal confederation under the Northern Water Tribe's jurisdiction. The South is a major economical power, with its people mostly living in its coastal capital and several villages nearby.The people of the Southern Water Tribe are modern, progressive, and focused on commerce and trade, but lack in spirituality. The Southern Water Tribe is currently at tension with the Northern Water Tribe as rumour speaks. History Foundation and growth Originally, the Water Tribe existed as one nation, solely based in the North Pole. However, following civil unrest, a large group of warriors, waterbenders, and healers journeyed to the South Pole to engender a new tribal confederation of several autonomous chiefdoms. The Southern Tribesmen eventually agreed to reaccept the Northern chief as their ruler, as long they were granted autonomy and their own government for internal affairs.As such, the chiefdoms of the South were governed by a supreme Council of Elders that in turn answered to the Chief of the Water Tribes. Over time, Southerners married into the ruling family of the North, strengthening the tribal ties. Despite this political rapprochement, the enormous geographical distance between the two sects caused them to evolve differently. Even though their cultures were still similar, as they maintained common customs and celebrations until 50 AG, the people of the North and South developed completely differently in regard of society and politics. The Southern Water Tribe was far less hierarchical than the North, enjoying a high degree of gender equality. The Southern tribesmen eventually built a massive inland city as their political and cultural center and the tribe began to prosper, even though it never reached the size and importance of the North. During these years, a tradition of celebrating the Glacier Spirit Festival began, during which the people would fast and meditate, and the tribal elders would commune with the spirits as they danced in the sky to create the southern lights; it ended on the day of the winter solstice. The Southern tribesmen also began to travel around the world. One group of Southern waterbenders discovered the Foggy Swamp in the Earth Kingdom thousands of years before the Hundred Year War. They decided to stay because of the abundant amounts of water there, engendering the Foggy Swamp Tribe in the process. However, as the Foggy Swamp tribesmen maintained isolation, the people of the South Pole never learned of these events. By the beginning of the Great War, the Southern Water Tribe had grown into a strong nation, with its capital filled with hundreds and hundreds of capable waterbenders of both men and women. Raids With the outbreak of the Hundred Year War, the Southern Water Tribe took up arms against the Fire Nation, though the tribe itself remained rather unscathed until around 40 AG. By then, Fire LordAzulon began to perceive the South as a threat for his expansion and ordered his navy to annihilate the tribe's military strength.Consequently, the Fire Navy employed raiding forces of firebenders and cruisers in order to capture or kill as many Southern waterbenders as they could. By doing so, the Fire Nation hoped to destroyed all resistance in the South. Despite being outnumbered, the waterbenders and nonbending warriors were able to defend themselves against the raids through fierce resistance, boasting minor victories such as successfully trapping a Fire Nation ship which eventually developed into the shipwreck. However, their determination was not enough and a systematic set of attacks eventually left Hama as the only waterbender left, prior to her eventual surrender. Following the widespread destruction and loss of life that the raids had caused, tribal unity declined and the capital city was largely abandoned. The small chiefdoms and tribes that formed the Southern confederation divided and scattered throughout the South Pole and all contact to the Northern Water Tribe was lost. Even though the South was virtually defeated, the raids continued by the Southern Raiders, who attacked the minor tribe of Chieftain Hakoda in 94 AG; they had been informed that one waterbender remained in the Southern Water Tribe and were subsequently assigned to eliminate that person. Knowing that the remaining waterbender was her eight-year old daughter, Katara, Kyagave her life by confessing to Captain Yon Rha that she was the person they were after. Her death provided the Fire Nation with the impression that the Southern waterbending lineage had been completely eradicated, which left Katara as the sole survivor. In the final years of the Hundred Year War, the Southern Water Tribe was in dire straits and teetering on the brink of extinction. As its population struggled to survive, many old traditions to appease the spirits were abandoned or forgotten, rendering the land spiritually unbalanced as well. As a result, angry spirits turned dark and formed the Everstorm. Many remaining male warriors left their chiefdoms for the Earth Kingdom to aid them against the Fire Nation, leaving the population of the tribe to be consisted mostly of elderly, middle-aged women, mothers, and very young children.[16] In 99 AG, Katara and Sokka discovered Avatar Aang,which resulted in Fire Prince Zuko raiding their village and capturing Aang. Sokka and Katara subsequently left the village as well in an attempt to save the Avatar and began to travel together with him to end the war. After the Siege of the North, a group of waterbenders and healers from the Northern Water Tribe were sent to the South to help rebuild it. Resurgence under Northern rule Even though the initial Northern relief expedition aided the Southern Water Tribe greatly in the slow process of rebuilding,the living conditions and economic situation of the South remained dire, forcing several Southerners to seek work abroad.Over time, the North restored its rule over the Southern Water Tribe and sent many more waterbenders and resources to aid its sister tribe. Eventually, the South grew prosperous again, prompting the North to demand taxes in return for their help. With the South's economic and social resurgence, its tribal unity was also restored and the old Council of Elders resumed their rule over the South Pole, maintaining the tribe's autonomy under jurisdiction of the Northern chief.Following the creation of the United Republic, the South was given a seat on the United Republic Council, charging one of its residents with helping to oversee the sovereign state.Some of the Southern Tribe's citizens also emigrated to the United Republic over the years, where cultural center was built for them in the capital itself. In 153 AG, the next Avatar in the cycle, Korra, was born in the Southern Water Tribe. A large compound was built for her to train under the Order of The White Lotus in waterbending,earthbending and firebending . By this time, the tribe's villages had grown into cities and the formerly uninhabited tundra became colonized. With its growing economic power, the Southern tribesmen became more independent and discontent with the North's rule and its taxes. Support for independence became widespread and the Northern chief was seen as little more than a figurehead,as opposed to the Council of Elders and the local chieftains, who were more readily accepted as rightful rulers of the Southern Water Tribe. In 170 AG, Avatar Korra left the compound and the Southern Water Tribe to help the world. By early 171 AG, dark spirits began to attack tribesmen at the South Pole and ships in the Southern Tribe's waters. Consequently, Unalaq, chief of the Water Tribes at the time, traveled to the South in order to restore local spirituality and end the attacks. Taking Korra as his disciple, the chief traveled with her to the center of the South Pole in order for her to open the spirit portal and allowing the spirit lights to return, thus lighting up the Southern sky with dancing spirits once more. Civil war After the spirit portal was opened, Chief Unalaq summoned his forces to the tribe in an abrasive attempt to unite the North and the South. Most Southerners felt that the Northern military presence was threatening their autonomy and unrest soon ensued, resulting in talks of a rebellion. Avatar Korra attempted to defuse the tension by reminding her people that they were all part of the same tribe, though her mediation was seen by the Southerners as her siding with the Northern regime. Eventually, a group of rebels, supported by Varrick Global Industries, made an attempt to kidnap Unalaq, though Korra thwarted the plot as it was being carried out. The chief commanded that the rebels be thrown in prison forever, but Korra successfully convinced him to allow them to stand trial, as she thought it would appease the South. However, Unalaq suspected Korra's parents, Tonraq and Senna, of being part of the attempted assassination and ordered them arrested. The accused were brought before Judge Hotah , who acquitted Senna but sentenced the others to life imprisonment. Korra later confronted Hotah and learned that the entire trial was a sham orchestrated by Unalaq. Thus, she and her friends busted her father and the rebels out of prison, officially igniting a civil war between the Water Tribes. Now led by Tonraq, the rebels subsequently retreated to the hills outside of Harbor City. Unalaq decided not to confront them, however, opting to increase the protection of the spirit portal, as it was vital to his plans.With Harmonic Convergence nearing, Tonraq went on the offensive, though his forces were completely defeated by the Northern troops, who received help from dark spirits. Despite this defeat, Avatar Korra defeated UnaVaatu, the merger between Unalaq and Vaatu. Soon after, she declared the Water Tribe Civil War to be over and announced the Southern Water Tribe's independence with the reinstated Council of Elders having elected Tonraq as the new chief Post-Civil War After the civil war,the tribes was ruled by the Lneon,making the first chief of the new age of the Northern and Southern Water Tribe.But sadly,Chief Lneon reign came to an end when then 2nd Chief overthrew him,Kesuk.Chief Kesuk changed the Council of Elders to the Council of Tui and La.During his reign,Southern Chief Trenton proposed that the Southern Tribe should be independent.There,the Southern Tribe was spilt from the Northern Tribe.Trenton then became the 1st Chief of the Southern Tribe.After that,when Kiryu threatened to leave the tribe unless Trenton steps down,he did.Following that,Kiryu became the 4th Southern Chief.Kesuk had became the Northern Chief.When he stepped down from the throne,he passed it onto Trenton who became the new heir to the throne.Continuing the throne of the South was passed to Takeyda,back to Kiryu and then to the present chief,Dante. 'Water Chiefs' *1st Water Chief Lneon *2nd Water/Northern Chief Kesuk *3rd Southern Chief Trenton *4th Southern Chief Kiryu *5th Southern Chief Takeyda *6th Southern Chief Kiryu *7th Southern Chief Aquutaq